Traditionally, speech therapists and speech pathologists work with patients who have oropharyngeal anomalies, injuries, or deficiencies. Oral phase dysphagia patients and those with oral weaknesses may suffer from speech deficits and dysarthria. Various speech and swallowing deficits and disorders may be congenital or acquired. Some examples of conditions that cause oropharyngeal disorders are stroke, traumatic brain injury, dementia, multiple sclerosis, and aging.
Increasing muscle mass and improving coordination helps these patients. Traditionally, the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument would be used that would involve exercises with tongue depressors. A patient would be able to perform limited isometric tongue movements of tongue base, middle, and tip elevation; tongue lateralization within the oral cavity; and lip compression. Some patients require a combination of various exercises and movements of the oropharynx. Traditional methods and apparatuses limit a patient's progress. Most of the time, a patient is confined to performing repetitious movements of which the oropharynx becomes accustom. Therefore, over time, the isometric movements with the same are not challenging and do not allow patients to continue improving oropharyngeal strength and range of movement.
Measuring progress has traditionally been done by using bulky and stationary measurement devices that are expensive and generally only used in a speech pathologist's office. In some situations, a new device would need to be used for each different exercise and would be difficult to accommodate patients with impaired mobility and those who need a long-term care plan.
Complicated machinery in a speech pathologist's office also generally requires training and skills for using a complex oropharyngeal exercise device. Although this would not be a problem when the patient visits the speech pathologist, the patient has little to no options for continuing treatment in between office visits. Building oropharyngeal strength and coordination is a continuous process where oropharyngeal exercises traditionally increase in repetitions, time, and resistance. Various exercises are typically needed to yield a synergistic and more holistic prognosis.
In addition, health insurance companies may be reluctant to completely cover the cost of purchasing a high-tech and expensive isometric exercise device. This especially becomes a problem for most oral phase dysphasia patients who are on a fixed income or who are disabled. Furthermore, patients may outgrow one device and may need to purchase a completely new oropharyngeal exercise device